*All results from games played on Monday, August 26th, 2013*
AAA - Las Vegas 51s (78-58)__________________________________
Vegas won a pair of one-run games to open up a 3.5 game lead with 8 games to play. Ruben Tejada was a standout with five hits between the two games but the big news came after the games were over:
Sources: Carson, den Dekker, Recker up http://t.co/V2yOrXWAIo #NYM #Mets
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) August 27, 2013
The headline name there is Matt den Dekker, whose defense was believed to be better than Juan Lagares's coming into 2013. Den Dekker's offensive numbers have taken a step forward in his second go-round in AAA, which is consistent with how he's handled promotions to new levels in the past. He is currently hitting .296/.366/.486 in 201 plate appearances since joining Vegas but the key number is his strikeout rate. After striking out in 28% of his 317 plate appearances with Buffalo last year, den Dekker has lowered that rate to 23% so far this season. In the majors he profiles similarly to Lagares, great defense with a fringe bat that should feature more pop but also some more swing and miss and a few more walks.
GAME ONE
LAS VEGAS 2, COLORADO SPRINGS 1 (Box)
- RF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-5, R, 2B
- SS Ruben Tejada: 3-5, 2B, RBI
- 3B Zach Lutz: 0-3, K
- CF Matt den Dekker: 1-4, K
- PH Anthony Recker: 0-1
- RHP Chris Schwinden: 6 IP, 7 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 4 K
- RHP Robert Carson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
GAME TWO
LAS VEGAS 10, COLORADO SPRINGS 9 (Box)
- SS Ruben Tejada: 2-5, R, 3B
- 3B Zach Lutz: 0-2, R, RBI, BB, K
- CF Matt den Dekker: 1-3, RBI, BB
- C Anthony Recker: 3-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K
- RHP Mitch Talbot: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
AA - Binghamton Mets (82-53)_____________________________________
BINGHAMTON 0, BOWIE 11 (Box)
For those seeking solace in the pitching stables of the minors, Noah Syndergaard offered no such comfort posting his worst outing of the season. He allowed nine hits and 11 runs--only nine were earned, although I'm not sure the distinction matters much--over three innings during which he struck out five, walked two, and allowed three home runs. This was certainly not the tonic we were seeking after the Harvey news broke earlier in the afternoon. Oh well. It's just one start and at least his ulnar collateral ligament is still intact.
- 2B Danny Muno: 0-4, K
- 3B Josh Rodriguez: 1-3
- 1B Allan Dykstra: 0-2; Hasn't been a great August for Dykstra who's now hitting .197/.329/.288 on the month.
- RF Travis Taijeron: 0-3
- CF Darrell Ceciliani: 0-3
- SS Wilfredo Tovar: 0-4, K
- RHP Noah Syndergaard: 3 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (30-29 / 67-59)________________________________________
CHARLOTTE 2, ST. LUCIE 5 (Box)
- CF Kyle Johnson: 1-3, 2 R, BB
- 2B T.J. Rivera: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (2), BB
- C Kevin Plawecki: DNP. Plawecki was hurt on Sunday.
- LF Dustin Lawley: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
- DH Jayce Boyd: 1-4; Can't remember the last time Boyd played the field. I have to wonder if the injury is having an impact on his hitting. It's hard to imagine it wouldn't be.
- SS Matt Reynolds: 0-4
- RHP Domingo Tapia: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K; Five walks in seven innings isn't going to get me excited in a good way.
Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (29-31 / 72-57)__________________________________
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
Short-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (35-31)
TRI-CITY 1, BROOKLYN 8 (Box)
The Brooklyn bats continued their hot hitting, knocking in eight runs to keep the Cyclones a half game back of Aberdeen for first in the division. Gavin Cecchini collected two more hits to bring his slash up to .290/.331/.333. His August line of .352/.396/.398 has been one of the more encouraging storylines of the Mets minors' second half.
- 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, K
- SS Gavin Cecchini: 2-5, R, RBI, K
- LF Jared King: 2-5, R, 2B, RBI, K
- RF James Roche: 3-4, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
- DH Alex Sanchez: 2-4, RBI
- LHP Dario Alvarez: 5 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Rk - Kingsport Mets (36-27)_____________________________
KINGPORT 3, PULASKI 2 (Box)
- OF Champ Stuart: DNP
- CF Yeixon Ruiz: 0-3, K
- 2B Jeff McNeil: 0-2, RBI, BB
- LF Joe Tuschak: 2-4, R, RBI
- RF Jeff Diehl: 0-3, BB, 2 K
- SS Amed Rosario: 1-4
- RHP Chris Flexen: 6 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 6 K; It will be interesting to see where Flexen starts next season. Suddenly, there a lot of arms battling for spots in that 2014 Savannah rotation.
Rk - GCL Mets (19-38)_______________________________
GCL METS 18, GCL CARDINALS 3 (Box)
- SS Luis Guillorme: 1-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K
- 3B Jhoan Urena: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K
- 1B Dominic Smith: 4-5, 5 R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB; Brings his season slash up to .288/.387/.411. In his last 10 games he is hitting .400/.467/.500.
- RF Wuilmer Becerra: 2-4, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K
- CF Ivan Wilson: 1-5, R, RBI, BB, K
- DH Brandon Kaupe: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K; Kaupe still does not have an extra-base hit on the season and I will continue to point this out until it happens.
- RHP Andrew Church: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 4 K
Star of the Night
Dominic Smith. I'm pretty excited to see what Smith will do after his first off-season as a professional. Unfortunately, it's likely we're going to have to wait until the Brooklyn season starts before we see him in game action.
Goat of the Night
Noah Syndergaard. Outside of injury, there's nothing Syndergaard could do from here on in that would hurt his prospect status.